In which Eris ponders alternative therapies (From Bucks Free Press)

In which Eris ponders alternative therapies

9:08pm Thursday 4th March 2010

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I have recently been dabbling in herbal medicine and alternative therapies.

Three years ago, I fell down a flight of 15 stairs at a party at university. Not my most elegant moment. In answer to the obvious questions, no, I had not been ingesting any firewater before the incident. I quaffed quite a bit afterwards though; alcohol has been used as an anaesthetic for generations (that is my excuse, and I am sticking to it like glue).

The next day, I had a train journey from Exeter to Wycombe. Not pretty. Luckily for me, the staff took pity on me, and arranged for a porter to carry my luggage across from Paddington to Marylebone, and gave me a 1st class seat, which didn’t make a difference to the fact I couldn’t sit down, but certainly helped in relation to drowning out the throbbing headache with all the free coffee I could guzzle in 2.5 hours.

I couldn’t sit down for three months, and have experienced pain and discomfort on a basis that I will refer to as somewhere between almost-constant and regular. I have had x-rays and an MRI (terrifying experience), and had various treatments. The most memorable was the physiotherapist who told me the pain was all in my head. Brill, thanks for that. About as useful as a chocolate teapot. My imagination is clearly better than I thought. There is some credence to what she says; I have noticed that when I get stressed it gets a little more pronounced. Sort of like my body says ‘aha, you are stressed, are you? Here, have something else to add to your woes! Huzzah!’

Anyhoo, I had a couple of Rheumatology appointments at the hospital, and they referred me for a course of acupuncture.

I have had two sessions so far, and honestly, I was slightly sceptical. Not to mention completely terrified. Since an episode when I was 12, I have been terrified of needles. However, this is making an amazing difference. I can sit through an entire film at the cinema without any discomfort. Believe me, this is nothing short of a miracle. And the doctor who carries out my acupuncture is fantastic. In my first session, he talked to me beforehand to make sure I was ok, and checked a number of times to make sure I was ok during. The needles have to stay in for about 15 – 20 mins, so he left to see to another patient, and I happily read my book. I didn’t feel them while they were in, and I barely even felt them when they went in. The needles go in my *ahem* lower back, so there is a fair amount of padding for them.

The NHS is starting to embrace ‘alternative’ therapies such as acupuncture and counselling. Which I actually think is fantastic. I used to see a herbalist (privately, the NHS don’t go there!), who is completely against modern medicine, she even treats her pets with herbal medicines. I don’t agree with this, I think that both modern medicine and alternative therapies have their place. When my back is painful, I am not against taking painkillers, and when a loved one has cancer I am fully in favour of an operation or chemo (as long as that is what they want!). However, I am aware that counselling can be incredibly valuable, and acupuncture seems to be helping my back pain hugely. The fact that the NHS provides it is just the icing on the cake.

We have made amazing discoveries in the last century with regards to healthcare, but treatments such as acupuncture have survived for centuries. Surely today we have room for both?